Trigrad Gorge

Trigrad is located 22 km from the town of Devin and 12 km from the junction by the village of Teshel, 1.5 km north of the village Trigrad. Its total length is 7 km, but the actual gorge is 2-3 km. It’s the third longest in Bulgaria coming after the Buinovsko Gorge and Trun Gorge. The gorge is part of the hundred tourist sites of the Bulgarian Tourist Union.

The gorge represents sheer limestone cliffs that surround the river Trigradska. The river enters the Devil's Throat Cave and some 530 meters comes out as a large karst spring. Then it merges with the river Buinovska. The west wall of the gorge rises to an altitude of 180 meters and on the eastern side reaches a height of 300-350 m. At the start of the gorge, the distance between the two walls is about 300 meters, but in its northern parts it's about 100 m. Another famous cave can be found at the eastern slope of the gorge - Haramiyska Cave.

The road to Trigrad goes through the fantastic homonymous gorge and along Devil's Throat Cave. The road creeps among the rocks and the sky remains bright as a stripe. Rocky shores rise like vertical walls, over a hundred meters high and their upper opening is no more than 20-30 m.

Although small, the village is visited by tourists, attracted by the natural phenomena- the Trigradsko Gorge and Devil's Throat Cave, which are located near the village. It is located in the Trigradsko plateau - one of the most interesting and beautiful plateaus in Bulgaria. The plateau is nested between the Buinovska and Muglenska rivers and has a length of 18 kilometers and a width of 9 km. Тhe rivers have been cutting into the rocks for millions of years and thus they have formed the most beautiful gorges in the Rhodope mountains. Huge caves of unmatched beauty have been formed as well. Devil’s Throаt and Yagodinska Cave are well laid out and are visited by thousands of tourist all year round. A kilometer away from the village, by the road to Devin, is located the Trigrad Gorge, dotted with whirlpools, caverns, hollows, uval and rock bridges. The vegetation in the gorge is also spectacular. You can see species that can only be found here, such as the Haberleya Rodopensis, Rhodope rye and others.Many rare species have been found in the caves of the gorge – different types of spiders, some of which are poisonous. The remains of prehistoric life have also been found inside the caves. The road to the Trigrad Gorge goes along the river Trigradska. The river mouth is very narrow and heavily incised in cliffs that rise 350 m in height. Before entering the gorge the river falls with roar in the deep Devil's Throat Cave.A kilometer down the road, it appears once again as if springing from the rocks. At 700 meters length the river forms 18 underground waterfalls. Devil's Throat is a scary cave with interesting rock shapes and underground waters. It is well laid out and safe for visitors. About 2 hours from the village of Trigrad, eastward towards the village of Mugla, are located the Cheirski landslide lakes. The water is crystal clear, filled with lots of Balkan trout. Vast lush meadows can be found around the area with many Thracian tombs and shrines.

Legends

There are a number of legends revolving around the origins of the name and the village itself. Some say it was an old Thracian village. And that it hasn’t been renamed ever since then, regardless of what historical stages it has gone through. According to one legend the Trigrad name comes from the fact that it was burnt three times, but that theory is not considered very reliable. Another legend tells that during Ottoman times there were three beams and when the righteous passed on them, infidels perished.

A third reason for the name was that it was surrounded by three peaks. The most reliable version of the legend is that the name comes from archaeological excavations in the 80s, when the Thracian origin of Trigrad actually comes from the name Theree Jibril, meaning Three Cities. A few kilometers away from the village can be found burial mounds, suggesting that it was a large and popular village. For centuries it has been known as a place of healing herbs and ancient traditions.

A local legend tells that when Orpheus played, the wind stalled between the branches of the trees, as if it was listening to his music. The birds would stop in the air and the animals would stop by the forest paths, and the beasts would stay still and tame. When the Maenads tore the singer and threw him into the river, every drop of his blood turned into a beautiful mountain flower called haberlea. The Rhodopean haberlea is rare relict endemic to the Balkans, and has very unique properties common for the ambrosia. As you travel around the region, you can enjoy its gentle colors through the mountain meadows.